Uthayan on the Dock with a demand of Rs.1000 Crore damage claim by Minister Devananda

At last spate of legal challenges are on against the Jaffna based Tamil daily Uthayan, checking its unchallenged era of news reporting.

Already Sri Lanka Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya has filed action in the Jaffna District Court against the Uthayan claiming Rs 100 Million as damages for publishing what he called highly defamatory articles concerning him in their July 11 issue

Yesterday it was Minister Douglas Devananada’s turn and the defamation case filed by him against the Uthayan newspaper demanding Rs. 1000 crore in damages for slanderous report and it was taken up for hearing at the District Court.

Minister Douglas Devananda appeared before the District Judge A. Anandarajah at the District Court in Jaffna. He appeared along with his Counsel Senior Lawyer Abdul Najeem and D. Rengan attorney- at- law.

Premamnanda, Editor of Uthayan appeared along with his lawyer and the District Judge asked the Minister of his interest in mutually settling the case.

In response, Minister Douglas Devananda told the court that Uthayan newspapers was hell bent on continuing with mischievous, condemnable and unsubstantiated disinformation campaign against him and his party.

He further revealed that he intends to file many more similar legal action against number of unsubstantiated defamatory news reports that appeared against him.

Minister Douglas Devananda also said, in the first place let the Unthayan newspaper come forward in the court and try to justify those reports they have published ‘against me and my party’. He said only after that he will be able to concentrate on the issue of 'any settlement'.

The counsel who appeared for Minister Douglas Devananda appealed the court to take appropriate measures against those defamatory and scurrilous reports that were published in the Uthayan news paper that has brought immense pain of mind, serious damage to his political career and to his to his client.

District Judge Anandarajah postponed the case for 15 March for next hearing.